The use of carotenoids as coloring agents in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals is a common occurence. The search continues, however, for new compounds in the carotenoid class which require smaller amounts of the material to impart a high degree of color intensity to the material to be colored. Such a compound is di-nor-canthaxanthin and derivatives thereof. However, according to procedures known heretofore, these compounds are producible only in very low yields which are non-commercially feasible.
It is an object therefore of this invention to produce di-nor-canthaxanthin and derivatives therefore in commercially feasible quantities.